NORTH Wales is to get a big slice of £100m investment in new buildings and equipment to mark the 60th anniversary of the NHS.

Health minister Edwina Hart will today confirm more than £25m will be used to re-develop units at Wrexham Maelor hospital for adults and older people with mental health conditions.

Latest plans to replace and enhance facilities at the North Wales Cancer Centre at Glan Clwyd hospital, Bodelwyddan, have also been approved, backed by more than £12m.

Mrs Hart is expected to confirm the investment on a visit to Wrexham Maelor hospital when she will tour the site of the new facilities.

“New state-of-art mental health facilities will greatly improve the care on offer to people living with mental health conditions, which will help to aid their recovery and quality of life,” she said.

“I am pleased to be able to approve the final plans for the development and visit the site of the new units.

“This is on top of the investment I announced recently on the plans to develop a purpose-built unit for children and adolescents with mental health conditions that will be built in Abergele meaning children and young people with have access to these important services closer to home.

“This latest investment shows my commitment to continually improving services for patients. It is fitting as we mark the 60th anniversary of the NHS that we are investing in its future.

“Indeed, many would have unimagined the type of treatment and facilities that would be available in today’s NHS.”

The latest £12m plans for the replacement of two linear accelerators and a CT scanner at the North Wales Cancer Centre have been approved.

“This development will again mean that patients will continue to receive treatment locally in North Wales to reduce the need to travel, which will help reduce pressure on patients and speed up recovery.”

Mrs Hart approved the full business case from the former North East Wales NHS Trust for the re-development of the adult mental health unit and re-provision of the elderly mental health in-patient unit.

The £25.3million plans for two new units will replace outdated facilities at the site for adults and older people living with mental health conditions.

Work on the 44-bed adult unit and 28-bed elderly mental health unit will get under way shortly and should be open by spring 2010.

The cash includes £66m for a new 128-bed hospital in Mountain Ash, and a 16-chair dentistry facility to provide NHS treatment for up to 10,000 people.